Daily Notes: Dak, Allen, Mitchell among key Week 1 injuries

Read ESPN’s fantasy football daily notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.

The news: Dak Prescott needs surgery after suffering a thumb injury.

What it means in fantasy: Prescott is expected to have surgery Monday and miss six to eight weeks, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The fantasy value of CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalton Schultz and Tony Pollard plummets as a result of this news.

Going deeper: It would not be surprising if the Cowboys contact the 49ers regarding a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo.

The news: Keenan Allen pulled a hamstring in the second quarter of Week 1’s game against the Raiders.

What it means in fantasy: After the game, Allen implied to reporters that he does not believe his injury is serious. That doesn’t necessarily mean Allen will suit up for a division matchup against the Chiefs on Thursday night to kick off Week 2. Stephania Bell said “The biggest concern for NFL athletes with a mild hamstring injury is it turning into a more severe hamstring injury. Playing four days from now could be a risky proposition.” It shouldn’t be difficult for Mike Williams to move into the No. 1 role as a borderline WR1. Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter are on the flex radar in Week 2 against the Chiefs’ secondary.

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Field Yates and Daniel Dopp break down the effect Keenan Allen’s injury will have on the Chargers going into Week 2.

The news: It is too early to determine how Najee Harris’ ankle/foot injury will affect the Steelers.

What it means in fantasy: Harris finished the game against the Bengals with 12 touches and 26 total yards before departing in the 4th quarter. It is unknown how severe Harris’ injury is, but potentially losing him is a huge blow for the Steelers. If Harris were to miss time, Jaylen Warren could fill the void and start. In that scenario, Warren c ld be viewed as an RB2 by fantasy managers.

Going deeper: Harris averaged 22.4 touches per game in 2021 and accounted for 31% of the Steelers’ scrimmage yards.

The news: Chris Godwin left Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys with a hamstring injury.

What it means in fantasy: The Buccaneers wide receiver had three receptions for 35 yards prior to the injury. Godwin, who tore his ACL late last season, was active for the game after not being sure he would play. It shouldn’t be surprising to see Godwin out again in Week 2 against the Saints. Mike Evans would undoubtedly take over as Tom Brady’s top receiving playmaker, while Russell Gage and Julio Jones will move up the depth chart.

Going deeper: Jones led the Buccaneers in air yards Sunday night. He caught three of five targets for 69 yards and appears to have a good rapport with Brady. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jones reached the seventh-fastest top speed (20.62) of anyone in Week 1.

The news: 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell left Sunday’s game in Chicago with a knee injury in the first half and he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

What it means in fantasy: Mitchell ran six times for 41 yards before leaving the game. The extent of the injury is unknown, but it could be a MCL sprain, according to reports. After the injury, Jeff Wilson Jr. took over as the running back on early downs. There is no doubt that he will be one of the most popular waiver wire additions this week.

Going deeper: Mitchell averaged 18.8 touches per game in his rookie season in 2021.

The news: AJ Dillon led the Packers’ offense against the Vikings.

What it means in fantasy: Dillon accumulated 91 total yards on 15 touches while Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers grimaced at his wide receivers. Dillon led Green Bay in both rushing and receiving, and he and Aaron Jones should continue to be key contributors on the ground and in the air as Rodgers and the Packers adjust to life without Davante Adams. Dillon is firmly on the RB2 radar for fantasy managers.

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Field Yates and Daniel Dopp react to AJ Dillon’s performance vs. the Vikings and what they expect from the Packers’ backfield.

The news: JuJu Smith-Schuster also had the second-most targets in his Chiefs debut against the Cardinals.

What it means in fantasy: Smith-Schuster finished with 79 receiving yards for Kansas City. Smith-Schuster is better off catching passes from Patrick Mahomes than late-in-his-career-Ben Roethlisberger. He is a WR2 in Week 2 against a Chargers defense that Davante Adams torched in Week 1, in what should be a high-scoring game.

Going deeper: Smith-Schuster’s 79 receiving yards is his fifth-highest total over the last 28 games. Mahomes and Chiefs head coach and offensive maestro Andy Reid should make this a more frequent occurrence.

The news: Jarvis Landry led the Saints in targets and receiving yards against the Falcons.

What it means in fantasy: In their first game together in the regular season, Landry showed excellent chemistry with Jameis Winston. It is very encouraging that the veteran receiver is off to such a fast start. In Week 1, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael had three wide receivers on the field more than 50% of the time. This is good news for Landry’s fantasy prospects. He’s on the flex radar for fantasy managers.

The news: Dameon Pierce’s regular-season debut didn’t go the way fantasy managers expected.

What it means in fantasy: Pierce finished Week 1 against the Colts with 12 touches for 39 yards. He operated in a committee with Rex Burkhead. Pierce surprisingly played only 28% of the snaps compared to Burkhead’s 78%. After the game, Texans head coach Lovie Smith spoke with reporters about the situations Houston found themselves in during the game, which led to Burkhead seeing more action than Pierce. The rookie is best viewed by fantasy managers as a flex option in Week 2 against the Broncos.

The news: Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Lions in targets, receptions and receiving yards.

What it means in fantasy: St. Brown has a receiving touchdown in five consecutive games, the longest streak by a Lions player since Calvin Johnson in 2011. Due to extra competition for looks, fantasy managers feared Brown’s targets would suffer, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. He can be trusted as a WR2 with upside against the Commanders in Week 2.

Going deeper: St. Brown has maintained his rapport with Jared Goff they established late last season. Over the final six games of 2021, St. Brown averaged 11.2 targets per game. During that stretch, only one wide receiver scored more fantasy points than St. Brown (100.1), and that was Cooper Kupp (109.3).

The news: D’Andre Swift set a career high in rushing yards.

What it means in fantasy: Swift finished with 175 total yards (144 rushing, 31 receiving) in an impressive performance to start the season. He became just the sixth player in franchise history to rush for 100 yards in a Week 1 game, and only the third Lion to accomplish that feat in a home game, following Barry Sanders (1996) and Steve Owens (1972).

Going deeper: Swift showed Sunday why the Lions think he can be one of the league’s best three-down backs. He will not be able to reach 20 touches regularly due to Jamaal Williams, but Swift’s efficiency (1.09 career fantasy points per touch) and targets as a receiver position him as an RB1 in Week 2.

The news: Michael Pittman Jr’s 121 receiving yards and touchdown cement him as the Colts alpha wideout.

What it means in fantasy: Pittman and Matt Ryan seem to be a fantasy football bonanza for managers. The chemistry this duo exhibited in training camp and in preseason games was evident against the Texans. Pittman certainly has top-10 upside in 2022. Against the Jaguars in Week 2, he is on the WR1 radar.

Going deeper: With Ryan as his quarterback, Pittman is capable of replicating the per-game averages that former Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones had in Atlanta. Jones averaged 9.8 targets, 95.5 receiving yards and 18.5 fantasy points per game.

The news: Tyreek Hill won’t miss Patrick Mahomes as much as fantasy managers feared.

What it means in fantasy: Hill’s 12 targets led the Dolphins in their win over the Patriots. In his regular-season debut with the Dolphins, he racked up 100 total yards and looked in sync with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Against the Ravens in Week 2, Hill should remain in the WR1 conversation.

The news: Christian Kirk hit the ground running with his new team in Week 1.

What it means in fantasy: Kirk led the Jaguars in targets (12), receptions (6), and receiving yards (117) against the Commanders. In our live draft trends, he was the WR34, and fantasy managers who have Kirk on their rosters are thrilled. Kirk was signed as the Jaguars’ top target in 2022 in a big deal this offseason. He can be viewed as a flex option with WR2 upside.

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Daniel Dopp explains that fantasy managers should be happy with Christian Kirk if he continues his production from Week 1.

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